While testing Canon's cheapest lens on their highest resolution camera may seem to be a pairing of opposites, there is a point to be made here. The 50 STM is not a great performer at f/1.8, showing a "dreamy" look to be kind. If we review a comparison between the 5Ds R and 1Ds III with the 50 STM at its f/1.8 aperture, we see that the 5Ds R can extract more resolution from even a poor performing lens. Look at the white being more clearly delineated between the black lines in the top crop to most easily see this.

To be honest, I thought the 24-70mm f/2.8L II would be easy to declare the winner and optically, it is the best of this list. However, the two f/4 lenses perform better in front of 50.6 megapixels than I expected.

The f/2.8L II is slightly sharper over then entire focal length range at f/2.8 than either of the f/4 lenses are at f/4. At the equal f/4 comparison, the f/2.8L II is noticeably sharper and is still sharper at f/5.6. At f/8, the differences are slight and at f/11, diffraction essentially evens the playing field. Choosing an image sharpness winner between the two f/4 lenses is a challenge, but more noticeable is the 24-105's higher CA and distortion levels.

The f/2.8 lens has a 1 stop wider aperture, giving it the ability to stop action in 1/2 as much light as the other two lenses and the ability to create a stronger background blur. The 24-70mm f/4L IS rules the maximum Magnification (MM) spec with a 0.70x rating vs. the competition's 0.23x and 0.21x specs. The two f/4 lenses have image stabilization, allowing them to be used handheld in far lower light levels than the f/2.8 lens (as long as the subject is not in motion). The 24-105 L has the benefit of reaching to 105mm on the long end.

The f/2.8L II is slightly larger than the 24-105mm f/4L IS, which is slightly larger than the 24-70mm f/4L IS. The f/2.8L II has a modestly more substantial lead in the weight category, weighing in 5 oz (142g) more than the 24-105mm f/4L and 7 oz (198g) heavier than the 24-70mm f/4L. These lenses are similarly well-built.

Small differences between these lenses include the 2012-introduced 24-70mm models having 9 blade apertures vs. the 2005-introduced 24-105mm's 8 and the f/2.8 lens having an 82mm filter thread size (vs. 77mm). A not-so-small difference is the f/2.8L II's price relative to the f/4L IS models.

The Conclusions

All of these lenses are easily good enough for use in front of a 5Ds. The decision differences for many will come down to price, aperture and overall versatility.

If your investment in the 5Ds has left you monetarily strained, a good value may be your highest priority. In that case, the 10 year old 24-105mm f/4L IS, purchased in white box or refurbished condition would be a great choice. Canon omitted the 24-105 L from its EOS 5Ds Lens Recommendations List, but ... I think this model is very worthy of consideration.

If you need to stop action in low light or want to create the strongest background blur, you need an f/2.8 aperture and the choice is easy. While the 24-70mm f/2.8L II will impact your wallet the greatest and will leave you without IS, this is the most amazing lens choice optically.

For overall versatility, I'll give the nod to the 24-70mm f/4L IS. The smallest and lightest lens of the group, the 24-70mm f/4L IS offers great image quality along with the best-performing image stabilization system and a macro-lens-like close-focusing capability. While more expensive than the white box or refurbished 24-105 f/4L IS, the 24-70 f/4L IS has the same regular price as the 24-105 L and is also a good value.

The Ultimate 5Ds General Purpose Lens

While it would be easy to justify a decision for any of these three lenses, I'm going to declare the EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II Lens to be the ultimate EOS 5Ds general purpose lens. Canon apparently agrees with this choice as this is the lens shown mounted in the Canon-supplied EOS 5Ds product images. However, I will not be selling my 24-70 f/4L IS lens anytime soon.

While the Canon EOS 5Ds Review (coming soon) will feature a complete review of the 5Ds cameras (including the R functionally), the Canon EOS 5Ds R Review takes a closer look at the differences between these two cameras.

Posting the 5Ds R differences review before the full 5Ds review may seem backwards, but ... we know most of what these cameras are about already. They are based on the 5D Mark III (including the AF system) with a new sensor and some new features. The resolution, noise and sounds are now known and available on the site. With these results all being excellent, for many (including me), the decision remaining to be made was between the 5Ds and the 5Ds R.

The 5Ds R review focuses on those differences and especially on moiré and the commonness of its occurance. I'll reveal my personal choice at the end.

One of the biggest differences between the 50mm f/1.8 II and the 50mm f/1.8 STM lenses, as their names imply, is the AF system implementation and the audibility differences of these systems is especially notable. The 50mm f/1.8 STM's focusing sound is greatly improved/reduced over the 50mm f/1.8 II presence-announcing buzz.

While much can be discerned from this post's image (the STM lens AF sound is depicted on the left), the difference that really matters will best be determined by your ears (turn up your speaker volume):

The perfect lens AF sound would of course be a flat line, but ... AF moves parts and moving parts tend to make at least some noise. In this case, the STM is audible and audible enough for on-camera mics to pick up. The sounds in this example are from an identical near full extents change in both directions at full speed. As with some other STM lenses, a slow change in focus distance (such as when recording video) results in a noticeably quieter sound.

Let's make some noise with the EOS 5Ds. We already talked about one important 5Ds noise factor (high ISO noise), but the audible noise a camera makes can be quite important in quiet situations. When the photographer wishes to remain unnoticed, such as at a wedding or when photographing wildlife, a quiet shutter release is greatly appreciated. The good news is that the 5Ds performs at a noticeably lower decibel than its predecessor.

Following are links to MP3 files capturing "The Sounds of the Canon EOS 5Ds". Turn up the volume!

It is not hard to figure out which cameras included in the burst comparison will garner the most attention. Notably, you will hear that the 5Ds is quieter than the 5D III with a less-sharp sound response. Designed to reduce vibration, the new mirror mechanism is also responsible for quieter performance.

The 5D III's silent mode was very useful and the 5Ds retains the same ability with a similar sound level.

My Canon EOS 5Ds and 5Ds R cameras are here and as you expected, they are practically glued to my hands. These cameras are delivering simply amazing image quality.

I will have lots of additional info to share about this camera in the very near future, but once again, I kept notes as I unpacked and configured three copies of the world's highest resolution DSLR. Following are the 36 steps I take to make an out-of-the-box 5Ds / 5Ds R ready for use.

Open the box, find the battery and charger and plug it in. If you have another charged LP-E6/LP-E6N battery available, you can continue to the battery-required steps without a wait.

While the battery is charging, unpack the other items you want from the box. For me, this is primarily the camera, the eye cup, the neck strap and the Canon Solution Disk. This is also a good time to grip the camera, taking in the new-camera grippyness that is right up there with new car smell.

Install Canon Solution Disk software on your computer to get support for the latest camera(s). Canon Digital Photo Pro (DPP), EOS Utility, Photostitch and Lens Registration Utility are the options I manually include in the install.

Attach the neck strap.

Insert the battery (after charging completes).

Power the camera on.

The date and time setup screen will show at startup the first time. Use the Rear Control dial and the Set button to update this information.

Set the camera's mode to one other than fully auto (the GreenSquare A+ mode only provides a small subset of available menu options), C1, C2 or C3 (Custom modes do not retain settings for use in other modes).

Scroll through all of the menu tabs to configure the cameras as follows:

Shooting Menu, Tab 1: Image quality: Use top dial to set RAW to "RAW" and Rear Control dial to set JPEG to "–"

Shooting Menu, Tab 1: Image review: 4 sec.

Shooting Menu, Tab 1: Beep: Disable

Shooting Menu, Tab 1: Release without card: Disable/off

Shooting Menu, Tab 1: Lens aberration correction: All disabled (though I suggest leaving CA correction enabled for most uses – all can be applied in DPP)

Shooting Menu, Tab 3: Picture Style: Neutral with Sharpness Strength set to "1" (Note: the low contrast "Neutral" picture style provides a histogram on the back of the camera that most-accurately shows me blown highlights and blocked shadows on the camera LCD. I usually change the Picture Style to "Standard" in DPP after capture.)

Shooting Menu, Tab 3: Long exposure noise reduction: I usually have this option set to "Auto", but my choice varies for the situation.

My Menu: Add the first tab; Register the following options for Tab 1: Long exposure noise reduction, Mirror lockup, Format card, Date/Time/Zone (great for monitoring what time it is), Sensor cleaning, Expo.comp./AEB

I of course make other menu and setting changes based on current shooting scenarios, but this list covers my initial camera setup process.

To copy this configuration would mean that you intend to shoot similar to how I shoot – including shooting in RAW-only format. While my setup works great for me, your best use of this list may be for tweaking your own setup.

If you can't remember your own menu setup parameters, keeping an up-to-date list such as this one is a good idea. Anytime your camera goes in for a service visit, the camera will be returned in a reset-to-factory state. Your list will ensure that you do not miss an important setting when putting the camera back into service.

As the rule goes with today's technology, along with a higher density sensor comes increased noise levels. Design a sensor with a pixel density equal to that of current APS-C sensors and ... one should expect noise levels that are similar to those in APS-C DSLRs. Make no mistake, Canon has not marketed this camera for its clean low light/high ISO performance and that is reflected in the 5Ds' max ISO setting that is lower than what is found even in many current APS-C models. Canon initially indicated that the 5Ds' noise levels would be better than the 5D II and 7D II, but not as good as the 5D III.

My personal expectation was that, when compared at the pixel level, the 5Ds noise levels would be close to those of the not-long-prior released high end EOS 7D II APS-C DSLR and when the 50.6 MP image was scaled down to 5D III pixel dimensions, the 5Ds would have an advantage, producing noise levels similar to or better than the 5D Mark III.

As I was very anxious to see the 5Ds noise test results, this test was a near-first order of business when the cameras arrived and these test results can be found in the noise comparison tool. Note that the "Standard" results in these tests include no noise reduction. This is not a default setting, but these results show what the camera itself can do. The color blocks, having areas of solid color, make ISO noise very apparent. If you can't see a difference in noise when comparing the color blocks between cameras, you are not likely to see any difference in your images. If the difference is tiny, there are likely other camera features that will be more influential in your decision making process.

Getting an important comparison out of the way: the noise difference between the 5Ds and 5Ds R is indiscernible. Noise is not a decision factor for choosing between these two cameras.

A large number of photographers looking for the resolution offered by this camera will be capturing commercial, studio, portrait, landscape, still life, architecture and a great many other subjects that are most frequently captured at ISO 100 or 200 and those images will be very clean. A very small amount of noise can be seen at ISO 400. Noise levels basically double as full stop ISO range settings are traversed with noise becoming strong but tolerable at 3200. Though this camera's highest ISO setting is 12800 (H), the noise levels are such that ISO 12800 images can be usable for some purposes. That is something I haven't been able to say about the highest ISO settings of any DSLR in a very long time.

Some may be disappointed that the 5Ds only goes to 12800 while cameras such as the 7D II have much higher ISO settings available, but ... bragging right appears to be the only useful value for the 7D II's ISO 51200 setting (or ISO 25600 for that matter). I can't think of a use I have for an image with that much noise.

If you were one of the few that use APS-C ISO 25600 or ISO 51200, simply dial in another stop or two of brightness while post processing. The 5Ds ISO 12800 images can be brightened during post processing to achieve the same 7D II ISO 51200 equivalent with similar amounts of noise. See the "Simulated High ISO" result set in the noise comparison tool for these examples. Brighten 5Ds ISO 12800 images by three stops to get to the 5D Mark III max ISO 102400 equivalent. Then downsize the 5Ds results to the 5D III pixel dimensions and the results are similar (and equally unusable to me). I applaud Canon for designing a realistic max ISO setting into this camera.

After getting over the striking resolution difference between the 7D II and 5Ds, it is apparent that these two bodies have very similar amounts of noise at the pixel level with the 5Ds having a slight advantage at the highest settings. Downsize the 5Ds results to 7D II dimensions and the 5Ds has at least 1 stop of advantage.

When compared at native resolutions, 5Ds images are noisier than 5D III images. The differences, especially at higher ISO settings, are less than 1 stop. Down-sized to 5D III pixel dimension (using DPP, see "Standard Down-Sized to 5D III" in noise tool), 5Ds noise levels are essentially equal to full frame 5D III noise levels and even slightly better at the highest ISO settings. So, while Canon's is not promoting this camera for its low light capabilities, I see it as one of the best options available with output size being comparable.

I use the Neutral Picture Style in-camera with RAW capture because it applies a lower contrast tone curve to images, providing a better picture of the camera's available dynamic range on the histogram shown on the LCD. Neutral Picture Style results appear somewhat dull. There is a time for the use of the Neutral Picture Style in production, but I usually change my RAW images to the Standard PS immediately after importing them and then adjust sharpness to a lower level.

The three sets of with-noise reduction samples all utilize Canon's default "Standard" reduction level. The 5Ds offers three levels of in-camera noise reduction and unlimited levels are available in the various post processing options. The RAW vs. in-camera JPG noise reduction samples are not identical, but I don't see a compelling reason to use in-camera JPG noise reduction over having the ability to adjust noise reduction during post-processing. Noise reduction can noticeably eliminate noise, but the collateral damage is elimination of some subject details along with the noise. Sharpness can also be decreased. Ideal is to dial in the right amount of noise reduction for your particular image. I seldom use noise reduction in the lower ISO range.

The Multi-shot Noise Reduction (MSNR) is an additional in-camera option available in many of the latest EOS models including the 5Ds. MSNR merges information from multiple (four) exposures taken in a full-frame-rate burst into a reduced noise image. The concept makes a lot of sense. MSNR provides a remarkable one stop or more of noise reduction, but ... I still have not found a compelling use for this feature.

The downsides to Multi-Shot Noise Reduction include: MSNR is currently available only with JPG output (I would like to see this feature added to Canon's Digital Photo Pro software for RAW capture processing - perhaps as another HDR preset). Multi-Shot Noise Reduction is not so useful with moving subjects (or with a moving camera). Long exposure NR, Dust Delete Data, Multiple Exposure and HDR Mode must be set to off to enable MSNR. The 5Ds reverts back to Standard NR in Auto/Basic zone modes, during video recording, in Bulb mode and when the camera is powered off. Flash is not supported in MSNR mode. After the 4 shot burst is captured, the camera remains "busy" for a noticeable period of time while processing the merged image. So, while this feature is a nice idea, its limitations make it less useful in real-world applications. I am far more likely to use a low ISO setting with a longer exposure when shooting stationary subject from a tripod.

EOS 5Ds ISO settings are available in 1/3 stop settings from 100 through 6400 with extended L (50) and H (12800) settings also available.

Canon EOS 5Ds and 5Ds R Noise Performance Summary

In summary, the 5Ds and 5Ds R (equally) deliver very clean, smooth results at low ISO settings despite their incredible resolution. While these cameras are more similar to the latest APS-C models in their pixel-level high ISO noise, downsizing the ultra-high resolution images to match any other class-leading full frame, low noise-level camera shows the 5Ds to be at least an equal in performance. While the 5Ds may not take low light performance to a whole new level, low light performance is not sacrificed and this camera competes strongly with the best available in this regard.

Because the new Canon EOS 5Ds and 5Ds R have such extreme resolution, image quality test results from these cameras show only a small subset of the test chart details compared to even the highest resolution camera previously included in this tool. I lamented about the loss of details yesterday and promised to work on a solution. My first pass at this solution is now live.

For any results captured with the 5Ds or 5Ds R cameras, an additional three crops are presented below the original three. This strategy allows the new cameras to be integrated into the existing tool while preserving the integrity of the previously existing results. The new crops include the numbers from the chart that are just outside of the original center, mid-frame and corner crops.

The first thing that you will notice is how large the test chart details are in the 100% crops. These cameras deliver simply incredible resolution. Here is a 5Ds R vs. 5D Mark III comparison. A huge list of other cameras can be selected for this test lens, the Canon EF 200mm f/2L IS USM Lens. I suggest using an f/4 or f/5.6 aperture for comparison purposes (for highest lens resolution without effects of diffraction)

The second thing you might notice is that some of the chart details, including the numbers, do not fit into the 5Ds/5Ds R crops shown in the image quality tool. I miss these details and am working on options to include them for these bodies. Your ideas are welcomed.

The first link included on this post shows a comparison between the 5Ds and 5Ds R. Both are impressively sharp even at the very low sharpness setting ("1") used for these crops. The 5Ds R is slightly sharper than the 5Ds, but with the sharp horizontal nearly-parallel lines, the 5Ds R shows slightly more moiré. I have been finding it challenging to find 5Ds R moiré, but a small amount does show on this chart image.